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SONGS OF SUNRISE 



iSooks of Poems 

BY 

DENIS A. McCarthy 



A ROUND OF RIMES 

VOICES FROM ERIN 

HEART SONGS AND HOME SONGS 

SONGS OF SUNRISE 

$1.00 net each 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



BY 



DENIS A. McCarthy 



N 6SI-Fi£r£k T| 




^VV1YAD-Q3S 



BOSTON 
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 

1918 



^-^v 



>v 



Copyright, igi8t 
By Little, Brown, and Company. 

All rights reserved 
Published, April, 1918 



Set up and clectrotyped by J. S. Gushing Co., Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 
Prcsswork by S. J. Parkhill & Co., Boston, Mass., U.S.A. 



M&V -7 I9i8 

©GIA494934 



TO ALL WHO ARE LOOKING 
TOWARD THE LIGHT 



ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

Acknowledgment is hereby made of the courtesy of 
the Independent, Rosary Magazine, Ave Maria, Chris- 
tian Endeavor World, Life, Youth's Companion, and 
New York Sun, for permission to use in this volume 
poems originally contributed to those publications. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Songs or Sunrise ^ 

The Freedom-Lovers 2 

When the People Wake 3 

Time and the People 5 

Mothers of Sorrows . 7 

A Dream of Christmas Bells 9 

Bunker Hill, i 775-191 7 ^^ 

Land of Our Hearts ^9 

A Singer of Beauty 20 

The Halls of the Heart 22 

Forward, March! 23 

High TroE 25 

A Mood of Remembrance 27 

The Minuet . '■. ^9 

To One Who Died in Winter 3° 

Dreaming of Summer 32 

Am I Forgetful? 34 

The Testimony of Spring 35 

The Sword of Hugh O'Neill 36 

The Irish 39 

A Song Out of Sorrow 42 

The Christmas Candle 43 

With a Gift 45 

The Winter Weather 46 

Tower of Ivory ^8 

Child Magic 49 

[ixl 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Leprechauns and Cluricauns . ' . . . .51 

Fairy Friends 53 

Fairy Playmates 55 

At Christmas 57 

An Ancient Irish Well 58 

A Little While 60 

Mother Love 61 

October's Queen 62 

The Wise Men 64 

Head and Heart 65 

Gaelic Farewell to Sorrow 67 

St. Patrick and King Darry 69 

Paddy and the Parson 72 

A Continued Story 75 

Summer Dreams 76 

Bird and Bard 78 

Shakespeare's Limitations and Ours . . .79 

Not "Can't" BUT **WiLi" 81 

Average Americans 83 

The Tipperary-man 85 

The Troubadour 87 

The Last Fight 89 

Little Norry Sullivan 90 

Love's Joy and Grief 93 

The Wearing of the Blue 94 

Love and War 96 

To be Kind 97 

If it Doesn't Ring True 99 



[^] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Songs of Sunrise 

OONGS of sunrise, songs of cheer, 
^ Songs for souls in sorrow groping, 
Songs to free the heart of fear. 
Songs to help us keep on hoping. 

Songs of life and songs of love. 
Songs of happier days hereafter. 

Gladsome songs to melt and move 
Minds of gloom to light and laughter. 

Songs of trust and songs of faith, 
Songs of strength and self-reHance, 

Songs of those who looked on death 
With serene, sublime defiance. 

Darkness o'er the world is spread, 
But the stars will one by one rise, 

And the east will soon be red — 
Let us sing the songs of sunrise ! 

[i] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Freedom-Lovers 

T^OW, may God shield the men who wield 

■^^ A sword in freedom's cause, 

And make them strong to smite the wrong 

That lives in tyrant laws. 
The world may hiss their names, and kiss 

The mailed hand of might, 
But, scorn or scathe, we keep our faith 

In those who love the right ! 

Now, may God bless the men who press 

With words that rouse and ring, 
The people's claims, the people's aims 

'Gainst kaiser, lord, and king. 
Whate'er their race, whate'er their place, 

Whate'er their creed or clan, 
God bless and shield in town and field 

The men who fight for man ! 



[2] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



When the People Wake 

r\ EMPERORS, kings and kaisers! 

O nobles and knights and peers ! 
Is this the end of your leading, 

This jumble of blood and tears? 
We gave you the reins to guide us, 

We trusted your power to plan — 
Is this the test of your ruling, 

This murder of man by man? 
We dreamed of a world grown wiser, 

We thought that the day was here 
When peace from the earth would banish 

The ghost of an ancient fear ; 
But vain was the faith we leaned on, 

And false was the hope we had, — 
Lo, here is the same old slaughter, 

And here is the world gone mad I 

O emperors, kings and kaisers, 
Your hour is approaching fast ! 

The web of your fate is woven, 
The die of your doom is cast. 

Too long at the game of glory 

[3] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

As pawns you have used our sons, 
Too long you have mocked and made them 

The food of your hungry guns. 
There's blood on your smooth white faces, 

There's blood on your soft white hands, 
There's blood-stained gold in your coffers. 

The price of our lives and lands. 
We're tired of your crimes and blunders, 

We're tired of your rule and rod. 
And the wrath of a wakened people 

Can smite like the wrath of God ! 



[4l 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Time and the People 

(Written on viewing a ruined feudal castle.) 

STRONGHOLD of a bygone day, 
Fortress of a fallen pride, 
Once a people owned thy sway 

Over all the countryside. 
Once the robbed and ruined kern 

Saw thee lift thy head abhorr'd, 
Cursing in his heart the stern 
Spirit of thy stranger-lord. 

Many a sweating peasant piled 

Stone on stone to raise thy walls ; 
Many a mother saw her child 

Chained among thy hapless thralls ; 
Many a village maiden wept, 

Vainly, as they dragged her in 
To thy courts wherein were kept 

Shameless festivals of sin. 

But the years have onward rolled — 
Now thy roof's the arching sky ; 

No one hates thee as of old. 
No one shudders passing by. 

[5] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Mighty walls that held at bay 
Vengeful clansmen in thy prime, 

Breached and broken are to-day 
Stricken by the hand of time. 

And as thou art, so is too 

That old tyranny whose power 
O'er the many, for the few. 

Raised thy threatening keep and tower. 
Other hands the tribute take, 

Other powers succeed to thee, 
These the people too must break 

Ere they stand entirely free ! 



[6] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Mothers of Sorrows 

'T' RAMPING, tramping, tramping, tramping, 

Down the street the soldiers come, 
Marching onward to the bugle, 

Marching onward to the drum. 
Down they come, and there among them 

Is a little lad I know — 
Or at least he once was Httle, 

But alas, he had to grow ; 
Had to grow from youth to manhood. 

Fine and handsome, face and limb, 
But the country needed soldiers, 

Just the very like of him. 
So, he's marching with the others 

That they're sending to the front. 
That they're sending off to Flanders 

There to bear the battle's brunt. 
And I'm frantic at his going. 

And I don't know what to do — 
But, O Blessed Virgin Mother, 

I'll be trusting him to you ! 

Tramping, tramping, tramping, tramping, 
Though I lived a thousand years, 

[7] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

I could never shut those footsteps \ 

From my tired and tortured ears. 
And whene'er I hear the bugle, 

Let it ne'er so gaily play, 
'Twill be mingled in my mem'ry 

With my sorrow of to-day. 
For my sorrow is the keenest 

That the world has ever known ; 
'Tis the sorrow of all mothers 

Who are widowed and alone. 
But, O Mother of all mothers, 

Mary, Queen of earth and heaven, 
You whose heart for love of Jesus 

Felt the wound of sorrows seven — 
See, I'm turning in my sorrow 

Unto one who sorrows knew. 
And my Httle boy, O Mother, 

I'll be trusting him to you ! 



[8] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



A Dream of Christmas Bells 

*' T> ELLS of Christmas, bells of Christmas/' 

-*-' Dreaming, thus I made my cry- 
Where a belfry raised its turrets 

Dark and mute against the sky. 
"Is not this," I said, "the season 

Deeply dear to hearts of men, 
When the world is wont to welcome 

Jesus to His own again ? 

"Then, O bells, O bells of Christmas, 

Wherefore silent ? Why withhold 
All the merry Christmas clamor 

That you made for us of old ? 
Swing and ring, and rouse the people, 

Maid and matron, man and boy ; 
For 'twill never seem like Christmas 

If they miss your notes of joy." 

But methought the bells made answer, 
"Nay; no more our notes may ring 

Till the world has grown more worthy 
Of the blessed news we bring, 

I9] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Till the hearts of men more truly 
Own the sway of Him who came 

That the world might be united 
For His sake and in His name." 

And methought the bells made answer 

"Look abroad upon the world; 
See the carillons of Europe 

From their holy places hurled. 
Through the ages fell their message 

From their belfries dark and high ; 
Now in common wreck and ruin 

Bell and belfry shattered lie. 

" Mourn we then, we bells, in silence 

For our silent sister chimes ; 
And we'll sound no Christmas anthem 

Till in better, happier times 
Every tribe and every nation 

Will from bloodshed seek release 
In the ranks of truth and justice 

Underneath the flag of peace. 

"Till that day no more at Christmas 
In our belfries shall we swing ; 

Nevermore to all the people 
Joyful tidings shall we bring ; 
[lo] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

But in mute appeal protesting 
We shall stand against the wrong, 

^Gainst the bitterness and blood-lust 
That have stained the world so long." 

Then I woke in desolation, 

But upon my waking ear 
Fell the sound of church bells chiming 

Happy chimes to childhood dear. 
And I knew I had been dreaming, — 

But I often thought that day 
Of the ruined shrines of Europe 

And of belfries far away. 



[ii] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Bunker Hill, 1775-1917 

"LJERE on this sod, 

Now consecrate for aye to Freedom's God, 
One glorious day 

An earthen barrier balked a tyrant's way ; 
Here on this ground 

The soldiers of a despot fought, and found 
That victory's cost 
Might mean a nation born, an empire lost ! 



Up from their boats, 

The June sun blazing on their scarlet coats. 

The king's men come 

With trilling trumpet and with roUing drum. 

Little they fear 

Their farmer foemen on the hilltop here. 

In lands afar, 

From foes well versed in the art of war, 

They've wrested oft 

The victor's palm. Upon their flags aloft 

Is many a name 

Of foreign fields that echo to their fame ; 

[12] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

So what care they 

For rebel colonists in rude array? 

With hoarse commands 

Their captains marshal them in glittering bands ; 

Their sabres clash 

As Hghtly from the shining sheath they flash ; 

The sunbeams glance 

On glinting bay'net and on plumes that dance. 

With stately tread 

On, on, they come in ranks of royal red, 

Adept, adorned 

For battle's brunt, as men whose souls had scorned 

A hint, a breath, 

A thought of danger, or a fear of death. 

But what of those, 

Their poor, derided patriot-farmer foes ? 

Why, why so still 

The homespun ranks intrenched upon the hill ? 

Has Britain's power 

O'erawed and chilled them in this fateful hour ? 

And bade them pause 

Ere yet they strike a blow for Freedom's cause? 

Not so, not so — 

No terrors hath for them this gaudy show ! 

[13] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

They've flung aside 

All fear today of England's martial pride. 

No tremors run 

Through any patriot hand that holds a gun, 

But steady, sure, 

With patient courage potent to endure, 

They wait until 

That long, imposing line has dimbed the hill ; 

Until they note 

The gold insignia on each captain's coat — 

Nay, till they spy 

The very color of the foeman's eye. 

Then, then, they aim, 

Then, then, the breastwork belches fire and flame, 

Then, then, they show 

How swift and deadly is the freeman's blow ! 

Confused and mazed, 

The men disordered and the leaders dazed, 

The British stand 

While stricken comrades fall on every hand. 

They little deemed 

Such stout resistance waited them, or dreamed 

That from the share 

Could spring such men as those who faced them 

there. 
With curse and cry, 

[14] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

To urge them forward their commanders try ; 

"Alas! What shame, 

What blot upon the army's honored name, 

If we retire 

Defeated by the rebel-rustics' fire !" 

Thus, thus they plead. 

Thus the remaining captains try to lead. 

But all in vain ; 

They cannot rally, in that leaden rain. 

In front and flank 

A panic seizes them, till rank on rank 

Goes reeling back — 

And dire disaster ends the proud attack ! 

But see — they form 
Again, the stubborn battlement to storm ; 
Again they come 

With trilUng trumpet and with rolling drum ; 
Albeit their tread 

Is now o'er many a gallant comrade dead. 
But what avails 

Their desperate courage? — for again it fails. 
Yes, once again 

The patriots reserve their fire, and then 
With deadly aim 

Drive back the British faster than they 
came! 

[is] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Now cheers ring out 

From those within that bravely held redoubt, 

Who joy to see 

The boasted British regulars turn and flee 

Before the guns 

Of farmer-freemen and their stalwart sons ! 

But even now 

While victory's flush illumines every brow, 

A bitter word 

Along the line of patriots is heard : 

''There's not a grain 

Of powder left to blow them back again 

Should they once more 

Attempt what they have failed in twice before ! '' 

E'en as they say, 

The British drums again begin to play. 

And from the throat 

Of brazen bugles blows the rallying note ; 

And once again, 

Though beaten backward twice, King George's men, 

Determined still, 

Begin the third attack upon the hill ! 

Now, who shall save 

The patriot band — so few, but oh, so brave ! 

Their powder gone, 

[i6] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Will they still dare the British coming on? 

No braver stand 

Than theirs was made by troops in any land ; 

So let them go 

Unbeaten still before the advancing foe. 

'' Retreat, retreat!" 

The order rings — but still they stay to meet 

The scarlet swarm 

That now the works from every quarter storm ; 

And hand to hand, 

With naked bay'net, musket-butt and brand, 

The foe they face, 

Reluctantly retiring pace by pace. 

Not theirs to yield — 

But fighting, fighting still, they leave the field ! 

Here on this hill 

The men who dared to die are honored still. 

This storied mound 

Now sweet with verdure, calm and column-crowned, 

Beholds each day 

The patriot-pilgrim from the far-away, 

Who comes to view 

The place where Prescott and his comrades true, 

In desperate fight 

Thrust back a tyrant's soldiers in their might. 

[17] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE ; 

Here old and young, 

Americans of every race and tongue, 

Come day by day, 

The tribute of their reverence to pay 

To those who stood 

For right, for justice, and for nationhood ! 

So may it be 

Forever. We're unworthy to be free 

The day we let 

Our sordid souls the glorious past forget ; 

The day our eyes 

In wealth and pleasure see the highest prize 

Yea, traitors we 

Unto our heritage of liberty. 

The day we know 

No stir of generous feeling, and no glow 

At names that thrill 

All patriot hearts today at Bunker Hill ! 



[i8] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Land of Our Hearts^ 

T AND of our hearts, while thy flag floats before us, 
-■— ' Symbol of Liberty on land or on sea, 
Proudly we'll sing and in one mighty chorus 
Tell all our love, O Columbia, to thee ! 

Land of our hearts, O Columbia, we hail thee, 
Fair land of freedom, 'tis to thee we'll be true ; 

Dangers may come, but we never will fail thee. 
Still we'll be loyal to the red, white and blue. 

1 Written for the military march-song "The Columbian", 
music by H. Theo. Gilday. 



[19] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



A Singer of Beauty 

npHE poets of power and of passion 

Are leaders and lords in the van ; 
They rouse us to forge and to fashion, 

They help us to plot and to plan ; 
Oh, they are the strong ones, the smiters. 

The prophets and seers of wrath, 
Who summon the swords of the fighters 

To clear for our progress a path. 

But what shall be said of the singer 

Whose song has no purpose or plan ? 
The bard who is only a bringer 

Of joy to the spirit of man ? 
Shall he be despised and neglected 

As useless or vicious or vain ? 
Shall he be rebuked or rejected 

And silenced with scorn and disdain ? 

Ah no — let him sing ! Let him fling us 
His song without purpose or art ; 

The lark into deeds does not sting us, 
And yet is he dear to the heart. 

f20l 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

All praise to the poets of duty 

Who rouse us to wrestle with wrong, 

But here's to the singer of beauty 
And here's to the lilt of his song ! 



[21 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Halls of the Heart 

'T^HE sweet-scented meadow, the blue- tinted sky, 
They do not desert us when summer goes by, 
For all through the winter, though summer depart, 
Their pictures are hung in the halls of the heart. 

The darker the day, and the sadder the mood, 
The brighter the mem'ries of mountain and wood. 
And worried and wearied in mill or in mart. 
We turn with relief to the halls of the heart. 

The sweet loving smile and the bright beaming eye. 
They stay with us still though our darlings may die, 
For love and remembrance with magical art 
Still picture them forth in the halls of the heart. 

Then face we the future howe'er it may frown, 
Though sorrows like snows of the winter come down. 
The joys of the past of our lives are a part. 
We keep them for aye in the halls of the heart ! 



I"] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Forward, March! 

WHEN luck is bad and the world seems sad, 
And your step's unsteady and slow ; 
When your shoulders droop with a weary stoop, 

As if bowed with a weight of woe ; 
When fame seems farther than ever away, 

And fortune is only a jilt, 
Then think of a song as you v;alk along 
And march to a Uvely lilt. 

With a "hep, hep," as you onward step, 

A magical change you'll find, 
Your blood will flow and your cheek will glow 

And your trouble will leave your mind. 
For courage will spring in your heart again 

And cowardice leave you soon, 
If you forward step with a ''hep, hep," 

To the time of a marching tune ! 

When grief and gloom in your heart have room, 
And you neither can toil nor talk. 

Then, forth, away, in the night or day 
For the balm of a lonely walk. 

[23] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

The spirit that sits in your heart may be 

With many another alhed, 
But they won't stay long for the ring of a song 

And the swing of a marching stride. 

With a ''hep, hep," as you onward step, 

Oh, this is a sovereign cure 
For minds that mope in the dark and grope 

In the mist of a mood obscure ; 
The fiend of fear from your heart will fly 

And courage replace him soon. 
If you onward step with a "hep, hep," 

To the time of a marching tune ! 



[24 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



High Tide 

EVENINGS in autumn when the tide was high 
And made our little river seem a lake 
(For out of its green bounds 'twould softly break 
And broaden till it mirrored all the sky), 
What pleasant walks together, you and I, 

Beside the quiet wave were wont to take ! 
Wimt talk was ours, in which there was no sigh 
Save youth's impatience for the by-and-by ! 

Those eves in autumn ! Thirty years or more 
Have wrought their changes in the world since then, 
And you and I will ne'er on earth again 

So merge our souls in converse as of yore ; 

For you, long since, have passed unto that shore 
Where tend at last the devious ways of men ; 

And till my spirit also passes o'er 

It is on memories I needs must pore. 

So now, on autumn evenings when the tide 
Comes creeping in across the marshes low, 
Its silent waters crimsoned with the glow 

Of the last gleam of day's departing pride, — 
[25] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

I think of other days when, side by side, 

We walked, and watched it wide and wider grow 
And dreamed of fame hke this outspreading wide, 
Nor ever thought to have our dreams denied. 



[26] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



A Mood of Remembrance 

^X/'HEN the winter's wildest weather 

Whitens all the world with snow, 
Then I dream of hills of heather 

Purple in the sunset's glow ; 
Then I dream of sylvan alleys 

Newly wet with summer rains, 
Silver streams in verdant valleys, 

Shady woods and leafy lanes. 

When the winter's grasp is tightest. 

When it binds its fetters fast, 
Then I dream of warmest, brightest, 

Sweetest scenes of summer past ; 
And one memory rises ever 

Of a bygone summer day, 
And a softly flowing river 

In old Ireland far away. 

On it flows, that river, singing 

Under arches dark and old, 
In its shining waters bringing 

Riches rarer far than gold. 

[27] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Many a humble home it passes, 
Many a castle proud and strong, 

In its wave the woods it glasses, 
And the hill range lone and long. 

Thus, when winter's reign is o'er me 

In this land so strange and chill, 
Mem'ry's magic brings before me 

Many a heather-purpled hill ; 
And when wildest tempests rally 

Round their standard of the snows, 
I can see the sun-loved valley 

Where that Irish river flows. 



28 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Minuet 



H 



OW sweetly and how neatly unto that olden air, 
The minuet she dances ! 
How bhthely and how lithely she trips it here and 
there, 
Retires and then advances ! 
How stately and sedately she curtseys and she bows, 
How queenly and serenely our homage she allows ; 
How nicely and precisely the bolder beaux she cows. 
And foils their ardent glances ! 

Oh, fair one, and oh, rare one, the minuet and you 

Are sweet as old romances. 
That fill men and that thrill men with dreams of 
youth anew, 
Of life and lofty chances ; 
Of glory when the gory blades of battle saw the sun. 
Of leisure and of pleasure when the stormy days 

were done. 
Of spacious Ufe and gracious with some lady like 
the one 
That now divinely dances ! 



29 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



To One Who Died in Winter 

QINCE you are gone, how destitute the days 

Of all that erewhile made them sweetly fair ! 
How sad is life, how wearisome its ways ! — 

The golden fruit is fall'n, the trees are bare. 
And that fond hope that led us like a light 

No longer shines to lure our footsteps on ; 
For all our hearts are sunk in sorrow's night — 

Since you are gone ! 

Since you are gone, since o'er your grave the snow 

Is drifting as the days of winter pass — 
Our hearts that sang a little while ago 

Are emptied of their joyous songs, alas ! 
For slowly, like your own sad funeral train, 

The dreary days and nights go on and on, 
And bring us no forge tfulness of pain — 

Since you are gone ! 

But no ; not so — we must not think the pall 
Can hide your face forever from our eyes ; 

We too shall answer to the Father's call 
And, through His mercy, walk in Paradise, 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

A little while in sadness and regret 
We'll bide the day eternal coming on, 

And feel God's blessing hover round us yet, 
Though you are gone. 



[31] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Dreaming of Summer 

A LL the winther weary, I was wishin' it was over, 
"^ Longin' for the v/arm winds an' longin' for the 

sun, 
Longin' for the breakin' bud, the grasses an' the 
clover, 
Longin' for the brown sthreams that ripple as 
they run ! 
Far away from Erin where the winther's mild an' 
mellow — 
Very little frost to bite, an' snow that doesn't 
last, — 
All the winther weary, sure, a poor ould feeble fellow 
Dhreams of future summers an' of sum.m.ers that 
are past ! 

All the winther weary, I was wishin' it was ended — 

Ah, to see the long days that gladden all the land ! 

Ah, to see the colors by the hand of nature blended — 

Blue an' white an' em'rald, an' gold, on every 

hand! 

Far away from Erin where the spring's an early 

comer 

[32] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

(Even in the winther there you hear the robin's 

song), 
Sure, you can not wondher that I am dhreamin' of 

the summer, 
Here where winther is so cold, so dhreary, an' so 

long ! 

All the winther weary, in the night-time an' the 
daytime, 
Sittin' here an' sighin' I've been longin' for the 
spring, 
Longin' in the lightness an' the brightness of the 
Maytime 
Just to dhrag myself abroad to hear the robins 
sing! 
Far away from Erin where the winther's mild and 
mellow 
(Seldom there the cold makes the singin' rivers 
dumb). 
What's a man to do when he's a poor ould feeble 
fellow ? 
Only dhream of summers past an' summers yet 
to come ! 



33 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Am I Forgetful? 

AMI forgetful of the patient love 
•^ Wherewith one heart has followed me and 

blessed me — 
When I have known how false may friendship prove, 
When sorrow haunted me and pain distressed me ? 

Am I forgetful ? How could I forget 

The gentle soul yet strong who comfort gave ? 

Man's heart is like the wind in April — yet 
Love-loyalty will last me to the grave ! 



34 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Testimony of Spring 

T ASK no greater miracle 
-■■ To prove a Godhead's kindly power 
Than this : The little buds that swell 
And break in living leaf and flower. 

I walk the fields and woods of Spring, ' 
And every tree becomes a proof 

That He who set the world a-swing 
Is busy still in man's behoof. 

Each tiny, timid blade of green 
That pushes upward from the sod, 

Proclaims to me the creed serene 
''There is a God ! There is a God." 



35 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Sword of Hugh O'NeilP 

"1X7HEN foreign hands had grasped the best 
^ ^ Of Ireland's ancient share, 
And foreign heels upon her breast 

Had ground their imprint there, 
One voice for freedom bravely rang, 

One sword of native steel 
Like lightning from its scabbard sprang — 

The sword of Hugh O'Neill ! 

One sword of native steel 

Flashed forth for Ireland's weal. 
The flashing sword, the slashing sword, 

The sword of Hugh O'Neill ! 

Soon thronging 'round Tyr-Owen's chief 

Tyr-0 wen's clansmen came — 
Who held their lands in foreign fief 

Flung off the yoke in shame. 

1 Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Baron of Dungannon, 
the chief champion of Irish nationality in the sixteenth century, 
after many years of struggle with the government of Eliza- 
beth, died an exile in Rome in 1608. His grave is in the 
church of San Pietro di Montorio. 

[36] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

And soon Tyr-Connail's prince displayed 

His father's fiery zeal, 
And bared his own bright brand to aid 

The sword of Hugh O'Neill. 

Flashed forth for Ireland's weal 

Red Hugh O'Donnell's steel, 
A brother brand to help the hand 

Of dauntless Hugh O'Neill ! 

O'More of Leix caught up the cry 

And flung his standard out. 
Would BrelTni's prince, O'Rourke, stand by, 

Nor heed that battle-shout? 
Nay, every clan had wrongs to right 

And every man could feel 
That Ireland's soul was in the fight 

Led on by Hugh O'Neill ! 

What man that could not feel, 
Though death his fate should seal. 

His stoutest blade must haste to aid 
The sword of Hugh O'Neill ! 

And so from every mountain dun 

The gallowglasses swarmed. 
And many a well-fought field they won. 

And many a town they stormed. 

[37] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Till backward from the Yellow Ford 
They saw the foemen reel, 

And glory gleamed upon the sword 
And standard of O'Neill ! 

The Red Hand of O'Neill, 
His good broad sword of steel, 

In glory's ray were bright that day 
For Ireland and O'Neill ! 

But woe for him who bravely tried, 

Who nobly fought and toiled ! — 
The great O'Neill in exile died, 

His country sacked and spoiled. 
Yet pray she will that God may still 

Some future day reveal 
Another Hugh as staunchly true j 

As fearless Hugh O'Neill ! 

Old Ireland's wounds to heal 
God send her sons as leal, 

God give her men to wield again 
The sword of Hugh O'Neill ! 



38 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Irish 

XXZHAT searching sound is that I hear 

Above the city's roar? 
Fling up the window wide, my boy, 

And let me listen more. 
What's that ? My soul ! I hear the roll 

Of drums that throb and thrill : 
The bugles' blare is on the air, 

The fifes are sharp and shrill ! 
Hurray ! Hurray ! 'Tis Patrick's Day. 

And all these fifes and drums 
Are out to lead the grand parade 

That round the corner comes ! 



The Irish — oh, the Irish ! — sure they're out in 

force to-day ! 
There must be twenty thousand men parading up 

Broadway ! 
And, oh, the green that decks the scene ! And oh, 

the bands that play ! 
And, oh, the dreams of hills and streams in Ireland 

far away ! 

[39] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Oh, help me to the window, boy, 

Until these poor old eyes 
Once more may see the flags I love 

Uplifted to the skies ! 
Old Glory's there — 'tis you that's fair ! 

No flag on earth like you ! 
And by your side I see with pride 

Old Ireland's banner too ! 
Oh, blessed sight, each standard bright 

Goes on in sun and wind, 
While, as of yore, the Celtic corps 

Is marching close behind ! 

The Irish — oh, the Irish ! — sure they're out in 
force to-day ! 

Full twenty thousand, ay, and more, are marching 
up Broadway ! 

The flags they bear are flags they'll dare to follow 
to the fray — 

But, oh, the thought, that comes unsought, of Ire- 
land far away ! 

O modest maiden watching there 

With looks so sweet and shy. 
Say, can it be the dust that brings 

A tear into your eye ? 

[40] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Or may it be that through the glee 

Of rhythmic drums that roll, 
Some minor strain awakes the pain 

Of exile in your soul? 
But never fear, although the tear 

Adown your face may creep, 
Your Irish eyes like Irish skies 

Can smile as well as weep ! 

The Irish — oh, the Irish! — sure they own the 

town to-day, 
With laughter on the lips of them, their grief they 

won't display ; 
Their wit is bright, their words are light, who else 

could be so gay ? 
But, oh, the tears for youthful years in Ireland far 

away I 



41] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



A Song Out of Sorrow 

/^UT of my sorrow I'll make a song, 
^^ Out of my grief a joy I'll fashion, 
Life at the longest is not o'er long, 

Why should I waste it in self-compassion ? 
Better, far better, to sing than sigh, 

'Neath the galling yoke and the scourging thong, 
And so, uplifting my heart, I'll try 

Out of my sorrow to make a song. 

Out of my sorrow I'll make a song. 

E'en though trouble has mauled and maimed me, 
This my singing may make men strong 

Long, long after the grave has claimed me. 
This were something to leave behind. 

Something to balance the years gone wrong. 
Something to solace and serve my kind — 

Out of my sorrow a deathless song ! 



[42] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Christmas Candle 



T 



»IS Christmas Eve; and so to-night 
The Christmas candle let us Ught. 
For, those who kept the faith of old 
This custom quaint were wont to hold ; 
And who are we, aside to cast 
The Christian customs of the past? 
So let us gather, one and all, 
And light the Christmas taper tall ; 
And star-like as it shines afar, 
'Twill mind us of that other Star 
That shone when first the Holy Child 
Looked up in Mary's face and smiled. 
Then let it burn, a symbol bright 
Of faith and love, this blessed night. 

And as we watch it, let us pray 
To Him new-born on Christmas Day, 
That we and ours may ever keep 
Within our hearts, secure and deep 
The faith our fathers hither brought, 
The faith for which our heroes fought, 
The faith that was our mothers' pride, 
[43] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

The faith for which our martyrs died. 
Yes, let us pray to hold unspoiled 
The heritage for which they toiled. 
And let us keep old customs dear, 
And let us gather, year by year, 
Around this light on Christmas Eve, 
And voice a fervent : "I believe." 



[44l 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



With a Gift 

OF things too dear 
To be sung or spoken 
This gift I send you 
Is but a token, — 

A simple token, 

But with it goes 
The tenderest wishes 

My spirit knows. 

The tenderest wishes. 
The sweetest dreams, 

With these, my dearest. 
This token teems. 

May I interpret, 

As token true. 
Should you take this gift 

That you'll take me too? 



45 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Winter Weather 

QING hey, the winter weather! sure to me 'tis 

^ very dear, it is, 

How bright and blue the sky, and oh, the air how 

crisp and clear it is ! 
And even if a gloomy day be thrown in with the 

best of it, 
'Twill only make us like the more the good of all 

the rest of it. 

Sing hey, the winter weather ; sing the tempest and 
the snow of it, 

The frozen ponds, the icy bonds, the combat and 
the glow of it ! 

The summer, were it always here, we'd weary of 
the trick of it ; 

'Tis winter comes and keeps us from the fate of grow- 
ing sick of it. 

O, happy are the summer days, for dreaming and 

for pleasure made ; 
But winter is for working out the plans in summer 

leisure made, 

[46] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

The time for manly task and toil — so turn the 

hand and mind to it, 
Forgetting in your zeal there's any drudgery or 

grind to it. 

And winter is the time of home, the time when 

hearts reveal themselves. 
The time when at the fireside all in sweet accord may 

feel themselves, 
The time of friendly glances when the folks all get 

together here — 
So hey, sing hey for winter, that's the very best of 

weather here ! 



47 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Tower of Ivory 

A GAINST the sullen seas, the dark'ning skies, 
•^^ I see the lighthouse, fair as ivory, rise ; 

A symbol, in a waste and wintry world. 

Of that bright haven where, with sea-wings furled, 

Its toilsome days of danger overpast, 
The weary bark may safely lie at last. 

So, too, amid a world of sin and storm, 
I see, O Mother ! thy benignant form ; 

And pray that all who sail life's troubled sea 
May ever find, as I have found, in thee 

A Tower of Ivory, a lamp to light 
The dark horizon of the infinite. 



[48] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Child Magic 

JOHNNY JONES his hoop is rolling 
Up and down the walk ; 
Johnny Jones his hoop is rolling " — 
This is grown-up talk. 

Johnny no such thing is doing 

(Surely he knows best) ; 
Johnny is a knight pursuing 

Some romantic quest. 

Johnny's hoop 's a charger prancing 

Where the fray is thick, 
Johnny's sword is brightly glancing 

(No, 'tis not a stick). 

Here and there behold him dashing, 

Riding down his foes. 
Through their armored cohorts crashing 

Gallantly he goes. 

Eoopy indeed ! Why, can't you see 
These he days of chivalry ? 

[49] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

"Look at Johnny peeking, peering 

From that poplar- tree ! " 
Not at all ; he's buccaneering 

Far away at sea. 

With his crew the yards he's manning 

Spite of swell or gale, 
They the wide horizon scanning 

For some Spanish sail. 

This may be a tree to others, 

But to them, avast ! 
Johnny and his sea-dog brothers 

Know it for a mast. 

And the green fields round about them 

(Land to me and you) 
Is to them — and who may doubt them? 

Oceans broad and blue. 

Ah, how blind we grown-ups be 
Not to see what children see ! 



ISo] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Leprechauns and Cluricauns 

/^VER where the Irish hedges 

^^ Are with blossoms white as snow, 

Over where the limestone ledges 

Through the soft green grasses show - 
There the fairies may be seen 
In their jackets red and green, 

Leprechauns and cluricauns. 
And other ones, I ween. 

And, bedad, it is a wonder 
To behold the way they act. 

They're the lads that seldom blunder, 
Wise and wary, that's the fact. 

You may hold them with your eye ; 

Look away and off they fly ; 
Leprechauns and cluricauns, 

Bedad, but they are sly ! 

They have heaps of golden treasure 
Hid away within the ground, 

Where they spend their days in leisure, 
And where fairy joys abound ,* 

[si] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE" 

But to mortals not a guinea 
Will they give — no, not a penny. 

Leprechauns and cluricauns, 
Their gold is seldom found. 

Maybe of a morning early 
As you pass a lonely rath, 

You may see a little curly- 
Headed fairy in your path. 

He'll be working at a shoe, 

But he'll have his eye on you — 
Leprechauns and cluricauns. 

They know just what to do. 

Visions of a life of riches 
Surely will before you flash ; 

(You'll no longer dig the ditches. 
You'll be well supplied with cash.) 

And you'll seize the little man. 

And you'll hold him — if you can; 
Leprechauns and cluricauns, 

'Tis they're the slipp'ry clan ! 



[52] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Fairy Friends ' 

■pAIRY fiddlers, lilting lightly, 

You may hear them if you will 
Close your ears and close them tightly 

To the sound of mart and mill ; 
If you'll only pause and listen 
Where the summer streamlets glisten, 
You may hear the fairy music 

In the laughing of the rill. 

Fairy dancers, dancing featly, 

You may see them if your eyes 
Are not blinded too completely 

By the shows that others prize. 
From the grosser pleasures glancing, 
Look and see the fairies dancing, 
Dancing neatly, dancing featly, 
'Neath enchanted starry skies. 

Ah, our hearts are all too earthful. 

Or we might forever know 
Fairy dance and music mirthful, 

Fairy beauty, fairy glow. 

lS3] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

In our youth the vision thrilled us 

And with magic pleasure filled us, 

And away from all the sweetness, 

Ah, how sad it was to grow ! 



[54 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Fairy Playmates 

FORTY little fairy men 
Marching down the hill, 
Marching in the moonlight, 

Stealthily and still ; 
Little spears a-glancing, 

Little swords a-shine — 
Ah, you Uttle fairy men, 
I wish that you were mine ! 

I should like to have you 

All for myself, 
I would make a place for you 

Here upon a shelf ; 
Or if you'd prefer to be 

From the house withdrawn. 
You could pitch your little tents 

Out upon the lawn. 

Fairy men are all alive 
Just like girls and boys ; 

They can run and they can jump, 
They are not like toys. 
[55I 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

They can answer when you speak, 
They can hear and mind, 

They are not like other things 
That you have to wind ! 

Forty httle fairy men — 

When the house is still, 
I can see them marching, 

Marching down the hill. 
I have toys a-plenty 

Up-stairs and down, 
But I'd rather fairy men 

Than all the toys in town ! 



[56] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

At Christmas 

NOW at this season, dear, of Love Divine, 
I should be silent on this love of mine. 

Yet am I fain a few sweet words to say. 
Just for yourseH, this coming Christmas Day. 

For it is you alone who know my heart — 
Who know the secret of its inmost part. 

Therefore, O love, O dearest love of mine, 
Here is my song, a symbol and a sign, 

Telling my faithfuhiess through all those years, 
Telling my love o'ercoming hosts of fears, 

Telling my hope of dreams that may come true 
At some sweet Christmas time for me and you ! 



[57 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



An Ancient Irish Well 

\X7HEN the cruel sun is glaring on the city's 

walls and ways, 
And the stricken land is staring blankly upward in 

the blaze ; 
When the parching plants are drooping and the 

thirsty birds are still, 
And the faithful cattle, stooping, stagger on with 

weakened will ; 
When there's nothing sweet or cheery in the voices 

of the street. 
When the head and heart are weary of the struggle 

and the heat, 
Then my thoughts are backward going to a cool 

sequestered dell 
Where a Hsping stream is flowing from an ancient 

well! 



Then indeed my mind retraces many a mile of 

spreading foam, 
And I see in dreams the places once I used to know 

at home — 

[58] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

See again the sloping meadows and the cool dark 
woods afar, 

Rest again within the shadows where the whortle- 
berries are, 

Hear again the gentle crooning of the waters as they 
flow 

(Like a fairy minstrel tuning in the days of long ago), 

And I stoop my forehead blindly and my parching 
Hps that swell 

For a draught long, cool, and kindly, from that 
ancient Irish well. 



59 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



A Little While 

npHE darkest hour the winter sends 

Can never quench or cloud the thought 
That summer days, hke smihng friends, 

Are hast'ning hither, favor-fraught ; 
That, howsoe'er the snow may drift 

On windy mountain, moor and fen, 
A little while, and flowers will lift 

Their faces to the light again. 

A little while, — a little while ! 

What comfort in the thought we find 
When life itself has ceased to smile, 

When all the world has proved unkind \ 
A little while of grief and gloom, 

A little while of sorrow's sting. 
And then — the fadeless flow'rs that bloom 

For us in some eternal spring ! 



[60] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Mother Love 

/^H, fair are the treasures of nature, 

^^^ And fair the treasures of art — 

By the sculptor beautiful things are wrought 

In the stone from the mountain's heart ; 
And beautiful are the paintings 

That hang on the rich man's wall, 
But the face of her babe to the mother 

Is fairer than them all ! 

Oh, the soldier he loveth glory. 

And the miser he loveth gold. 
And the fair green isles are clasped and loved 

By the waves of the ocean old ; 
The youth to the maiden giveth 

The love that is first and best. 
But the mother's heart goes out in love 

To the babe upon her breast. 



6i 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



October's Queen 

TXTHEN the grass was springing, 

Wlien the fields were gay, 
When the winds were singing 

All the happy day, — 
Then we gathered 'round thee, 
Mother dear, and crown'd thee 
With the brightest blossoms 

Of the meads of May. 

Now that winds are grieving 

Over summer dead, 
All the woodlands reaving 

Of their riches red, — 
Once again we're kneehng. 
To thy heart appeahng. 
Twining other garlands 

For thy holy head. 

Rosy crowns we wrought thee 

In thy month of flov/'rs, 
Rosy crowns we brought thee 

From the Maytime bow'rs. 

[62] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

But when roses fail us, 
Rosaries avail us ; 
Tis with these we crown thee 
In October hours. 



[63 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Wise Men 

T ED by one star's mysterious, moving flame 
"■-^ O'er hill and vale, o'er desert, moor and fen, 
From out the dim, rich. Eastern lands they came 
In kingly majesty, the Three Wise Men. 

All things they left when they, athwart the sky, 
Beheld the beckoning beam that planet shed, 

All princely pleasures they at once put by 
To seek the Saviour, wheresoe'er it led. 

Haply there stood full oft beside the way 
The worldly-wise who mocked their holy quest. 

But they, unheeding what the world might say, 
Following the star, still ever onward pressed. 

Until their faith at last received reward. 

And He they sought revealed Himself to them, 

When bowing low their Saviour they adored 
Within the stable walls of Bethlehem ! 



[64 



L^ 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Head and Heart 

npHE work accomplished by the head, 

You can't deny (my grand-dad said) ; 

Not much a fellow may effect 
Who doesn't use his intellect. 

But let him not forget the part 
In life allotted to the heart. 

High places in the world are found 

By those whose heads are strong and sound ; 

Great deeds by such as these are done, 
Great glittering prizes earned and won. 

But, mark my words, the richest prize 
Should never blind a fellow's eyes 

To truth, to kindness, to the sight 
Of other strugglers toward the light. 

The man who uses just his head 
May be too shrewd (my grand-dad said). 
[6s] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

May gain the world but lose his hold 
On things that can't be won by gold, 

The head is strong, the head is wise, 
Without its use you can not rise, 

Without its use (my grand-dad said), 
I guess you might as well be dead. 

So go, and do the best you can, 
But don't forget your fellow-man, 

And in the street or chaff'ring mart 
Remember still to use your heart. 



[66] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Gaelic Farewell to Sorrow 

CORRA — bad scran to yeh ! 

^ Back o' me han' to yeh ! 

Wairy I am of your head hangin' down ! 

Let me have done wud yeh, 

Sure, there's no fun wud yeh — 

Off and begone wud yerself an' yer frown ! 



Sorra — bad cess to yeh ! 

That an' no less to yeh ! 

Off wud yeh ! Leave me, I'm sick o' yer groans ! 

Throth, 'tis a curse yeh are, 

Every day worse yeh are, 

Sad as a hearse rowHng over the stones. 



Sorra — bad wind to yeh ! 

Aye, an' bad ind to yeh ! 

I've been a frind to yeh oft in the past, 

But yeh've so saddened me, 

Moidhered an' maddened me, 

I am compelled to evict veh at last ! 

[67] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE i 

Sorra — bad luck to yeh ! 

Long have I stuck to yeh ! 

Long, aye, too long, yeh have housed in me heart ! 

But I'm desirin' now, 

You'll be retirin' now, 

Off with yeh, Sorra, I'm glad we must part ! 



68] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



St. Patrick and King Darry 

C AINT PATHRICK was bitther enough 

^ With thim ould pagan dhruids an' princes ; 

An' faith, if they gave him much guff, 

He could soon bring thim lads to their sinses. 
But Pathrick was kind to the poor — 

He'd go hungry an' dhry for their sakes — 
Och, he loved every crature, I'm sure, 

Always barrin' the snakes ! 

Yes, he loved every one, young an' ould, — 

The hares an' the deer an' the rabbits. — 
An' he'd love even serpents, I'm tould, 

If they hadn't such horrible habits. 
The birds an' the bastes of the wood, 

No matter how timid an' wild. 
Faith, they didn't fear Pathrick the Good 

Any more nor a child. 

One day, by King Darry, the Saint 
A fine piece of counthry was granted. 

An' along with the monarch he went, 
To look at the land so much wanted. 

[69] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

When what should they see but a doe 
Lyin' there in the midst of the bawn, 

Her eyes with affection aglow 
Lookin' down on her fawn. 

With that the hot blood of the King 

Boiled up with the deer-hunter's passion ; 
His javelin he lifted to fling, 

In the most approved blood-letting fashion ; 
But the Saint laid a grip on his hand, 

And boldly commanded him : "No. 
Your Majesty, this is my land, 

And deer-hunting don't go ! " 

Then he tenderly raised the young deer, 

An' coaxed back the shiverin' mother, 
Whose dark eyes, dilated with fear. 

Were lookin' from one to the other. 
An' thin to King Darry he said : 

*'For an abbey you gave me this place; 
I'll make it a shelter instead 

For all deer from the chase ! '* 

Thus Pathrick outwitted the King, 
The chief of thim ould pagan princes, 

An' faith, 'tis himself that could bring 

With his curse thim same lads to their sinses. 

[70] 



""""■" '""" 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

The King whin he found he was sould 

Was so mad his fri'nds thought he would burst, 

But he kept very quiet I'm tould, 
For he feared he'd be curst ! 



71 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Paddy and the Parson 

There are many stories in Ireland illustrating the zeal of 
certain members of the church "as by law established" to 
make converts from among the Irish peasantry, who, it need 
hardly be said, were and are steadfast adherents of their own 
Church. Many of these stories are intensely pathetic, show- 
ing the struggle of a much-tempted people to cling to their 
old faith; others furnish amusing examples of the deftness 
with which an Irishman can get out of a difficulty. Here I 
have simply put into rhyme a story well-known in Ireland. 

QAYS the Parson to Paddy: "Your cow is a 
bad-looking beast. 
What makes her so scrawny and thin?" 
RepHed Paddy : ''No wondher ! The crathur gets 
hardly a taste ; 
Sure my land here is not worth a pin. 
This place I pay rint for is nothin' but mountain an' 
bog, 
An' the grass is both scanty and poor ; 
Ah, but if I had only the good grass to give her, 
begog, 
She'd be as fat as your own, I am sure." 

Says the Parson: "Well, Pat, you may send your 
cow up to my farm, 

[72] 



■Mii 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

And there let her eat to her fill ; 
And all that I'll ask for her grazing won't do you 
much harm — 
In fact, 'tis to help you it will. 
Just come to my service next Sunday — ah, don't 
be a slave 
To Father Maguire and his Mass ! — 
Come and hear me expounding the Bible; your 
soul it may save, 
And remember — your cow's on my grass." 

Well, up went the cow to the minister's farm. And 
then 
Came Sunday to puzzle poor Pat. 
Oh, he went to his usual Mass with the rest of the 
men. 
Faith, he thought he'd be sure about that. 
But then as the day wore along and he thought of 
his ''baste" 
He didn't know just what to do. 
"Arrah, sure, his ould sermon," says he, "won't 
hurt me in the laste" — 
So he went to the Parson's church, too. 

But of Pat's double-dealing on Monday the minister 
heard, 
And hastened to take him to task. 

[73] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

''Ah, Paddy, you villain," says he, ''you have 
broken your word ! 
What's the meaning of this, may I ask?" 
But Pat was demure though his eye gave a comical 
roll, 
As he made this remark with a bow : 
"Your honor, I wint to my church for the good of 
my soul, 
An' to yours for the good of my cow !" 



[74I 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



A Continued Story 

\T7HATE'ER opinions some parade 

And preach with loud insistence, 
I can't beUeve that man was made 

For just this brief existence. 
We might indeed bewail our birth 

If this is what it all meant, 
But I have faith this life on earth 

Is just the first instalment. 

Must we believe this life of man 

With all its hints of glory 
Is, bounded by an earthly span, 

A sort of lame short story ? 
Ah, no, — a grander fate is his. 

It shines from many a text, 
Man's life a serial story is — 

Continued in our next. 



[75 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Summer Dreams 

TF I had my wish today 

I would soon be far away 
From the burden and the yoke, 
From the smother and the smoke, 
From the fever and the fret, 
From the hurry and the sweat. 
From the fiery furnace heat 
Of the crowded city street. 

Oh, I know a place full well 
Where the gods of silence dwell. 
Where contentment keeps her school 
In the shadows deep and cool ; 
Where the water-spiders glide 
O'er the softly-flowing tide ; 
Where the robin stops to sing ; 
Where the swallow wets his wing ; 
Where the willows lean and look 
In the mirror of the brook. 

If I had my wish — if I 
From the town today could fly, 

[76] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

That's the place I'd Hke to see, 
In that place I'd like to be. 

But I would not go alone 

To that place so dearly known. 

Nay, sweetheart, were you not there 

'Twould be neither sweet nor fair. 

Dearer far the city street 

Than the restfullest retreat, 

If the beauty of its skies 

Were not mirrored in your eyes ; 

If beside its waters blue 

Long I looked but found not you ! 



[77 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Bird and Bard 

jT^H, bless the bird that sings with glee 
^^ When morn the sky is gilding, 
That sings with glee though busy he 

For wife and babies building ; 
A father's load he bravely bears, 

With mouths to feed a-many, 
Yet sings as if, with all his cares, 

He had no trace of any ! 

Oh, bless the bard who sings of hope. 

We hst his songs with pleasure ; 
He gives us strength with care to cope. 

His lays we love and treasure. 
And though he knows of life the stings 

More keenly than his brothers. 
He lifts his voice and nobly sings 

To cheer the hearts of others ! 



[78] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Shakespeare's Limitations and Ours 

V^HEN Shakespeare wrote his plays and things 

He had no rhyming dictionary, 
And no thesaurus lent him wings 

By helping him his words to vary ; 
No ready reference books he had, 

All nicely filled with apt quotations — 
I grant his work is not so bad 

Considering those limitations. 

When William Shakespeare wrote his verse 

His gray goose quill was apt to linger, 
He had no fountain pen — and worse, 

No type machine he had, to finger. 
These things had been a precious boon 

To him had he but known about them. 
But William lived a while too soon, 

Alas, he had to do without them ! 

Today we've every kind of aid 

To make the art of writing easy ; 
We've books of every kind and grade 

To help to make our fancy breezy. 

[79] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

On prose and verse both night and day, 
The type machines go chcking, clacking 

Yet Shakespeare beats us still, they say, 
I wonder what the deuce we're lacking? 



80] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Not "Can't" but "Will" 

^'pAN'T!" ^Tan't!" "Can't!" The world is 

weary of the word — 
Sounds exactly Hke the croak of some ill-omened 

bird — 
Better far to say "I can !" "I can !" But, better 

still, 
Let a fellow face the world and say "I will!" "I 

will!" 

''Can't!" ''Can't!" "Can't!" I wish we'd never 

hear again 
That distressing syllable that spoils the plans of 

men. 
Steals the courage from their hearts before the 

fight's begun, 
Makes them shirk the struggle that, once in, they 

might have won. 

"Can't!" "Can't!" "Can't!" Oh, let us drop 

it from our speech ; 
'Tis a word that puts the goal, success, beyond our 

reach ; 

[8i] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Let no thought of failure enter in our faith to kill, 
Let us drop this " can't " and use the words " I will I 
"I will!" 



82 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Average Americans 

/^H, we are but average fellows, 

Who lead the most commonplace lives, 
Our names never stare from the ''yellows," 

We never steal other men's wives ; 
We're never caught cutting the capers 

Of those on Society's list, 
We furnish no scares for the papers — 

We're men the reporters have missed. 

Nor wealthy, nor wild, nor romantic, 

Our lot on the level is cast. 
We never drive silly m^aids frantic 

To trace our mysterious past ; 
The tenderloin doesn't adore us. 

We're neither be-curst nor be-kist, 
We couldn't tell one in the chorus, 

We're men the reporters have missed. 

It may be we bow to the fashion 
In owning an auto — what then ? 

We are not possessed of the passion 
For running down babies or men, 

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SONGS OF SUNRISE 

The killing of gentle old ladies 

Amuses us not, we insist ; 
But then we're not headed for Hades, \ 

We're men the reporters have missed. 

Yes, we are but commonplace fellows, 

And ours is the average lot ; 
Our lives don't appeal to the "yellows," 

We furnish no columns of ''rot" ; 
And yet, gentle reader, don't blame us, 

'Twere better like this to exist 
Than shine with the foohshly famous — 

We're men the reporters have missed. 



[84] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Tlpperary-man^ 

V^TALKING out when work was done, 
A somewhat sad and weary man, 
Suddenly I chanced to run 
Across a Tipperary-man. 

Just as suddenly my fears 

And broodings, dark and tragic too, 
All my trials and my tears 

Left me, and like magic too. 

For his eyes so bright and blue 
Were beaming with good nature O, 

And such mirth as ne'er I knew 
Shone from every feature O [ 

Till I felt that he must be 

Own cousin to a fairy-man, 
Such sorcery he wrought in me 

This genial Tipperary-man ! 

There be pleasant men from Clare, 
And pleasant men from Kerry, too, 
[8s] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Cork and Limerick and Kildare 
Antrim, Down and Derry too. 

Every spot of Ireland's ground, 
Every town and county O, 

There may sunny men be found 
Heirs of Ireland's bounty O ! 

East and west and south and north, 
Send abroad their noted men. 

Men of wit and men of worth. 
Quaint and often-quoted men. 

All apostles of the day, 
Missioners of cheerfulness, 

Enemies of grieving gray, 
Banishers of tearfulness. 

But if e'er again I pine 

A silent, sad and weary man. 

May this blessed boon be mine — 
To meet a Tipperary-man ! 



[86] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Troubadour 

T_T E sang of olden Spain — the song 

Came upward from the street below, 
And bore in every tone a throng 

Of golden dreams of long ago ; 
And all the dead and gone romance 

Of that old land beyond the sea 
Came back to capture and entrance 

My spirit with its witchery. 

He sang of olden Spain — there moved 

Before my gaze the warrior men 
Of fair Castile, whose prowess proved 

The downfall of the Saracen ; 
With swords of steel and souls of fire, 

Their banners blowing in the wind, 
Rode onv/ard many a knight and squire 

Across the mirror of my mind. 

He sang of olden Spain — the land 
With glorious gonfalon unfurled, 

The shadow of whose mailed hand 
Struck terror into half the world ; 

[87] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

The magic of whose name was known 
To strange, wild people over seas, 

The echo of whose fame was blown 
In all men's ears by every breeze. 

He sang of olden Spain — I heard 

A fountain musically fall, 
A wand'ring wind went by and stirred 

A rose-tree trained against a wall ; 
A tinkling lute with voices blent 

Went o'er and o'er a lover's rhyme, 
The while a convent belfry sent 

Across the land the vesper chime. 

He sang of olden Spain — and ceased. 

My dreaming ended there and then, 
My spirit from its spell released 

Came back to consciousness again. 
The present, commonplace and plain, 

Effaced the splendor and romance 
Evoked by that Castilian strain 

A strolling singer sang by chance. 



[88] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Last Fight 

T ' VE had my days of dark defeat, 
-■■ I've had my hours of vain regret, 
Now must I brace my soul to meet 
A darker shadow yet. 

Surrender or retreat no more 

Can save me from what must befall, 

For now I face as ne'er before 
The fiercest foe of all. 

Where drums conjure men to be brave 
'Twere hard enough to face the fight, 

But, God, what courage one must have 
Alone, and in the night ! 



89 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Little Norry Sullivan 

T ITTLE Norry Sullivan, she's gone to join the 

-*^ nuns — 

Ain't it sthrange the convent often gets the wildest 
ones? 

Making fun an' frolickin' you'll see them here to- 
day, 

Look around to-morrow, an' bedad, they're gone 
away. 

Gone away to be a nun. 
Gone away from all the fun, 

Faith, 'tis queer an' sthrange it is, a chara, as you 
say. 

Sure, 'twas she was just like that — a wilder never 

stept ! 
Do you mind how fast she ran, how fearlessly she 

leapt ? 
Everything her brothers did, 'twas she could do the 

same, 
(As for quiet Kevin, sure, she put the lad to shame). 
Out she was from morn till night, 
Playin' bail was her delight, — 

[90] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE' 

Norry's side was sure to win when she was in the 
game. 

Man alive, but 'twas herself that was the lively lass, 
Hardly could keep still while Father Toole was say- 
ing Mass. 
Thrying hard to keep her mind upon her little book, 
But the open window oft would lure her longing 
look. 
Then you'd know her mind had slipped 
From her prayin' an' had skipped 
Out among the meadows in the softly-growin' grass. 

Sure, it seems like yestherday I saw her up an' down, 
Runnin' like a redshank through the sthreets o' 

Carrick town, 
Double-knockin' people's doors, an' ringin' people's 

bells, 
Makin' people nervous with her screeches an' her 

yells. 
But — she's all grown up to-day 
An' she's left an' gone away, 
Gone to be a Sisther in the convent down at Kelis. 

Wondher what came over her ! Ah, sure, 'tis hard 

to know ; 
All that I can say is, no one wanted her to go. 
Naither of her parents liked the step she took at all, 

[91] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

An' there was one boy who felt that he'd just like 
to bawl. 
But 'twas Norry didn't mind ; 
All their talk was only wind ; 
Said she had it in her heart, and that she must obey 
the call ! 

Little Norry Sullivan, God mark your soul to grace ! 
Here's my blessin' on your heart an' on your happy 

face, 
Here's my blessin' on your work an' on your prayin' 

too. 
On whatever task the Lord may give your hand to 

do! 
An' whatever be His will, 
May your heart be merry still, 
Little Norry Sullivan, sure, that's my wish for you ! 



[92] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Love's Joy and Grief 

LOVE lifts us to the height of the immortals, 
Love gives us sight until we almost see 
The bliss that hides behind the shining portals 
Of God's eternity ! 

Ah, yes, Love's joy is sweet beyond believing ; 

And blest is he whose life has felt its power ; 
But what of him whose heart has known the griev- 
ing 

Of Love's sad hour ! 



93 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



The Wearing of the Blue^ 

A H, Paddy dear, an' did ye hear 
"^^ The news that's gone abroad ? 
The blue is Ireland's color — sure, 

The green is all a fraud. 
No man St. Patrick's day can keep 

The way he used to do, 
'Tis now declared instead of green 

We all must wear the blue ! 



Oh, I met with Napper Tandy — 

An' he says to me : " Asthore, 
What big bosthoons we all have been 

This hundred years or more ! 
What fools we've been to shed our blood 

For flags of verdant hue. 
When all the while our rightful flag 

Was never green, but blue !" 

1 Some years ago, in reply to a query by a correspondent, 
the New York Sun said that blue and not green was the real 
national color of Ireland. Whereupon Mr. McCarthy wrote 
these lines which were published in the Sun. 

[94] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

'Twas bad enough to have to wear 

Old England's cruel red, 
But now we have to change again, 

An' wear the blue instead. 
So pluck the shamrock from your hat 

*Tis false instead of true. 
An' wear no shamrock after this, — 

Unless the same be blue ! 

Oh, I met with Napper Tandy, 

An' he said : " It can't be — no ! '* 
"Yet if you see it in the ^wn," 

Says I, ''it must be so." 
He sighed and answered: "Surely this 

Is hard on me an' you. 
How can we ever change our tune 

To 'The Wearin' of the Blue ' ? " 



95) 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



Love and War 

*|\^ yJUST Love be silent when the brazen tongue 
■^^■^ Of war's loud tocsin fills the land with dread ? 
When flaunting war-flags to the winds are flung, 
And hearts grow sick with sorrow for the dead ? 

When harsh and sullen the imperious drum 
Commands our country's long repose to cease, 

Must Love be silent, must the lips be dumb 
That erewhile sang his songs in perfect peace ? 

Ah, not for peace alone love here exists, 
Nor are his songs made only for delight. 

Love enters, too, the nations' bloody lists 
To fire the hearts and nerve the arms that fight. 

The awful clamor of the days of strife 

New strength and meaning to his songs impart. 

And thus is Love through all the ways of life 
The chosen minstrel of the human heart. 



96 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



To be Kind 

TT is hardly worth while to be anything else but 

-■- kind, — 

There are sinners around us, 'tis true, but how often 

we find 
That the bad would not be half so bad if they were 

not so blind ! 

It is hardly worth while to be anything else but 

just, 
For today or tomorrow we die, and our bodies are 

dust. 
And the millionaire lies with the beggar who craved 

for a crust. 

It is hardly worth while to be anything else but 

good, — 
It is meet that we follow the Master the way that 

we should. 
It is meet that we love Him and serve Him the way 

that He would. 

To be honest and pure, to be faithful and brave and 
resigned — 

[97] 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 

Is the standard He sets for a heart and a soul and 

mind, 
And always and aye to the end, to be kind — to be 

kind! 



[98] 



t 



SONGS OF SUNRISE 



If it Doesn't Ring True 

TF it doesn't ring true — 

-■' Then there's nothing to do 
But to tear up your poem and start on another ; 

If it isn't sincere 

There is reason to fear 
That it never will reach to the heart of a brother. 

And no matter how fine 

Every phrase, every line, 
And no matter how clever each word seems to you, 

An essential 'twill miss, 

If it's lacking in this, 
And 'twill fail in its work if it doesn't ring true. 



If it doesn't ring true — 

Then there's nothing for you 
But return to your toil with persistence and passion ; 

If it fails in this test 

Then you've failed of your best, 
And there's nothing to do but a better to fashion. 

For your verse is a bell — 

If you wish it to swell 

[99] 



SONCS OF SUNRISE 

With a message to men of a mission to do. 

In its molding beware, 

Of its casting take care, 
For the crown of your craft is to make it ring true ! 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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